The Connection Regeneration
by jesterkoops
Summary: When Sheldon gets back from his travels, his inner search is far from over. And his is not the only one. His return is only the beginning of a whole new complicated journey for Pasadena's favorite power couple.
1. Prologue

**THE CONNECTION REGENERATION**

**Summary: **When Sheldon gets back from his travels, his inner search is far from over. And his is not the only one. His return is only the beginning of a whole new complicated journey for Pasadena's favorite power couple.

**A/N**: I know way too well that everyone and their grandmother are having a go at writing their version of Sheldon's return and its aftermath, and, for several reasons, I said to myself that I would not go anywhere near this topic. What can I say? I'm weak. I have been thinking of writing a specific kind of Shamy story for a while and it turned out that the season seven finale actually works very well as a trigger for the events I had in mind for that story. So, with a little bit of twisting, here it begins. I hope I will have the willpower to see it through to the end, as I expect this to be pretty long. Wish me luck because I'll need it!

I don't own TBBT or any of its characters. Otherwise there would be no corner to write Shamy out of in the first place.

* * *

**Prologue**

Sheldon really regretted not having the presence of mind to bring his noise-cancelling headphones on this trip.

The station was loud. The chatter, the clinking of cups and cutlery and the seemingly never-ending sound of screaming children and rolling suitcases seeped into his brain, making it harder and harder to concentrate on the task at hand.

He clasped his hands over his ears in an attempt to block out the sounds as much as possible, and he squinted down at his laptop, perusing the Excel spreadsheet open in front of him, rows of red, yellow and green cells filling the whole page.

He was filled with dismay when he realized that, once again, none of the rows contained enough green to make his next decision any easier. He moved the cursor to select the ones with the most number of green cells, but all that resulted in was a smaller list of seemingly irresolvable comparisons.

"_Claw-footed bathtub or a wet-room… Bathing inside a monster or inside nothing at all. What happened to good old reliable middle grounds?"_

"_Go somewhere with a forecast for 93% humidity or somewhere with 105 degrees and danger of wildfires. Basically live like Aquaman or the Human Torch…"_

"_Direct train in first class but wait in this hellhole for 3 hours or take a train in second class which will use up twice as many segments on my rail pass, or take overnight train in a shared compartment… One can never win."_

Sheldon brought his browser back to the forefront, surveying the long row of tabs open, none of them providing any useful solution. With a frustrated sigh, he was about to open a new one and initiate yet another search, when a family of five approached him with the full intention of setting up camp at his table.

Sheldon stared at the small group for a moment, indignantly open mouthed, before confronting them. "Excuse me!"

The mother, a petite woman cradling a slobbering and screaming baby in a strap against her chest, flopped down first into one of the chairs, and only then finally acknowledged him. "Oh, I am sorry… are these seats taken?"

Sheldon puffed out his chest slightly. "Technically speaking no. Those seats aren't taken. The table however, is, as you can see." He gestured to his belongings on the table.

The woman shared a glance with her husband, who scanned Sheldon up and down while continuing to set their bags down next to their seats. "Well, there seems to be plenty of space for everyone."

Sheldon braced himself against the table. "But I was here first!"

"The only other table available is too small for our family." The man pointed across to a tiny, two-chair table covered in sandwich wraps and spilled take-away cups.

Sheldon jumped up, startled, as the eldest child of the couple, a boy in his early teens, peeked over his shoulder. His French fries breath, hot over Sheldon's ear, made Sheldon shudder in disgust.

"Is that your girlfriend?" the boy pointed at the screensaver and Sheldon managed to push the laptop away just before his greasy finger made contact with the screen.

"I would request that you refrain from bringing your filthy appendices anywhere near my belongings!"

The boy was momentarily taken aback by Sheldon's language, but then just stared him down, a smirk appearing on his face. "She looks like a dork…"

In the blink of an eye, Sheldon was up from the chair, towering over the boy and making him back away a few steps. "You take that back!"

"Andrew! Don't be rude!" the mother grabbed the boy by the arm and pulled him away from Sheldon.

"But it's true! And so does he!" the kid whined.

Sheldon felt his palms get clammy and his chest constrict with anger, but just as he was about to burst into a rant, his attention was drawn to a little voice calling at him from across the table.

"We have the same t-shirt…" the smaller boy, about four years of age, sing-sung, pointing at himself and then at the physicist.

Sheldon, distracted by the observation, felt his anger dissipate slightly and he smiled at the boy. "We do. You have excellent fashion sense, young man."

The calm was only momentary, however, because Sheldon soon realized what it was that the little boy's lips were happily sipping away at. "That is my milkshake!"

The father swiftly ripped the cup away from the child's grasp, causing him to start crying, and reached for a clean straw before presenting the drink back to Sheldon. "I'm sorry, sir…"

Sheldon's eyes nearly bugged out of his head. "Like I'm going to drink your offspring's spit!" he exclaimed.

"Fine, I will buy you a new one…"

"No, no, no! You win! Your invasion is complete." Sheldon started hastily gathering his stuff and relocating to the smaller table, shouting over his shoulder. "The table is all yours, you troglodytes!"

After he got rid of the garbage and thoroughly cleaned the surface, and his hands, with half a bottle of hand-sanitizer, he collapsed into the chair just in time to see his laptop's screen go black, the battery completely drained, taking three and a half hours of his careful planning with it.

Sheldon looked across the room in despair, as the obnoxious eldest son, now occupying his previous seat, happily swiped his greasy hands all over a tablet, plugged into the only electric socket of the whole cafe.

He clenched his fists and closed his eyes, taking deep breaths and trying to calm himself down. "It's ok, Sheldon. It's ok. You are the master of your own emotions. You are in control. You are _not_ overwhelmed. You are in control." He muttered to himself.

He opened his eyes again, only to stare at his own reflection in the glossy screen of his computer, the dark circles under his eyes evident even when reflected against the darkened surface.

If his impromptu trip had been a welcome relief for his overwhelmed system during the first two or so weeks, the more he moved around, the more his need for order had started to catch up with him. Planning his next move had become increasingly draining with each passing day.

"I left because I needed time and space to think! THINK!" he cursed his own reflection. "These conditions are not conducive to THINKING! I need peace and quiet and comfort and cleanliness!"

A tray of food was set down across from him as his companion took the empty seat, munching on a potato chip. "So… where to next?"

Sheldon didn't even look up to acknowledge the question. He just kept staring at his tired reflection, his shoulders slumped. "I need peace and quiet and comfort and cleanliness…"

* * *

**A/N: **Here we are…. The, somewhat short, prologue is up. It took me longer than I expected to finally post it because a) the first three chapters are really hard to write and b) posting means I'm committing myself to finish this, which, in my current state of mind about the show, is a big commitment indeed. Special thanks to Marina, Lio, Andy and Chloe for the feedback and giving me the confidence to go ahead and post this, because it's unlikely I would have had otherwise!

*jingle*


	2. The Cooper Reinsertion

**Chapter 1: The Cooper Reinsertion **

**Summary**: Sheldon's return brings along a surprise or two.

**A/N: **As hard as writing can be (especially when I set myself self-imposed deadlines like this one!), it's always worth it when I get so much feedback and follows from you guys. Thanks so much to all those who took time to review and I hope you'll enjoy this story as it progresses.

I wanted to make sure this was posted before the writers' panel at Comic Con, so as to not get too influenced by whatever spoilers might be coming out. I have a very specific plan for this story, which is already mapped out all the way to the end, and I don't want to be tempted to deviate too much.

Massive thank you to Stef, a.k.a. teoriapostmoderna, for the beautiful cover art for the story! And thanks to Lio for her ever-so-useful and speedy feedback on the chapter.

I do not own TBBT or I would be sitting on a Comic Con panel right now instead of posting fanfic online.

* * *

Penny held onto Leonard's hand, shifting uncomfortably from foot to foot. "Are you sure you don't want us to wait in the car so you can greet him alone?"

Amy shrugged. "It's fine." She answered over her shoulder, squinting up at the arrival boards. "You guys saw him off when he left. Since his departure wasn't a big enough deal for me to be even warned about, why are you concerned that his return would be any different?"

Penny cringed inwardly at the not-so-subtle jab. "Still haven't let that one go, huh?" she mumbled under her breath.

Amy finally turned around to face them, her voice losing the resentful edge. "Besides, it's not like this is the first time I've seen him since. Even though it was only via videochat, we _have_ spoken every day."

"Are we sure we are at the right platform?" Leonard asked, looking around at the swarming crowds of passengers, just as the next train pulled into the station.

As the train slowed down and passed them by, Amy's eye caught that of one very familiar, lanky passenger who was making his way to through his carriage.

He stopped dead in his tracks in the eye-lock, causing the people behind to trip into him, and he wasted no time in turning around in annoyance, probably reprimanding them for their clumsiness, before the window disappeared from view.

"We are at the right platform." Amy confirmed, walking off in the direction of his carriage.

The trio reached Sheldon's coach just as the physicist was stepping down the narrow ladder, carrying two bags and arguing with the middle-aged couple that followed him.

"What if we had been in cars?!" he scoffed. "Is that the way you drive on the road? Ever heard of safety distance?!"

The bewildered couple pulled out the handles on their suitcases and made a beeline away from the train, yelling "You're insane!" over their shoulders.

Leonard leaned to whisper in Penny's ear in with a smirk. "This trip truly was for the best!"

Penny gave him a light shove with her elbow in response. "Don't speak too soon, Leonard." She reprimanded him.

"Sheldon!" the blonde made her way up to Sheldon and she excitedly launched herself at him. "It's so good to see you, sweetie!"

"Good Lord! " Sheldon withstood the force of the hug, doing his best not to drop his bags and awkwardly patting her on the back with his free hand. "No need to be over excitable, Penny. I have been gone less than seven weeks. And what happened to your hair?!" He asked, mildly alarmed, as he leaned back to study her short haircut.

Leonard snorted at his comments. "So good to see you, again!" he exclaimed, over-enthusiastically.

The veiled hint of good-natured sarcasm was lost on Sheldon, as he stepped out of Penny's hug to greet his friend with a smile. "It's good to see you too, Leonard."

His eyes, however, had already set on Amy, who stood a few steps away from the little group, silent, hands neatly clasped in front of her.

They hadn't really noticed Sheldon had company until his company suddenly threw himself into Penny's now empty arms, squeezing tight her in a bear hug. "It's so good to see you, too!"

Caught off guard, Penny instinctively returned the hug, before maneuvering around so she could face Leonard over the man's shoulder and mouth "Who the hell is this guy?!" to her fiancé.

Leonard turned his palms upwards, mouthing back "I don't know!"

Sheldon approached Amy and toyed with the handle of his trolley, looking down at her and trying to catch her eye. "Hello."

"Hi." Amy looked up to him, then down to the ground, then at his chest. She smoothed her hands down the sides of her skirt, swallowing.

Despite the daily communication, the two suddenly found themselves at a loss of words, as they stood once again in front of each other in the flesh.

"Um." Sheldon leaned down slightly, looking at his shoes. "Thank you for coming to pick me up."

Amy gave a little shrug, her eyes not quite reaching past his chin. "You're welcome." She tried to shake off the awkwardness by making herself useful and reached a hand out for his suitcase. "Let me help you with that."

Sheldon let go of the handle, but caught her by surprise when instead of letting her take the bag, he took a deep breath and moved in closer to slowly but smoothly envelop her in his arms.

As Penny extirpated herself from the grip of the strange man, she shared a glance with Leonard in acknowledgment of Sheldon's uncharacteristic display of affection.

Amy remained stiff in Sheldon's arms for several moments. It was only when she felt he was about to pull away that she let out a shaky breath and quickly wrapped her arms around his back, holding on tight to return the embrace.

She pressed her cheek against his chest, closing her eyes for a moment. "I'm glad you're back." She murmured.

"Hey, Amy!"

The spell was broken by a cheerful, intruding voice and Amy opened her eyes again to find herself staring at a waving hand and a face way too close for comfort.

She sighed, and broke the embrace. "Hello, Eric."

"Sorry to derail your reunion…" Eric winked at Sheldon, pleased with his pun. "I just wanted to thank you for letting me tag along."

Sheldon just nodded and stared at Eric, until the shorter man opened his arms up to him.

"Don't I get a hug, too?"

Sheldon blinked once. "No." He deadpanned.

"Oh well…" Eric shrugged. "I gotta go, or I'm going to miss my connection."

Sheldon frowned, looking confused. "What connection?"

"The 6.42pm Southwest Chief. I am so looking forward to enjoying that beauty sailing away at 90mph that I'm getting goosebumps already!" He beamed, rubbing his own arms. "I don't know why, but no matter how often I ride that track, every time feels like the first time."

Sheldon exchanged a quick look with Amy, before bursting Eric's bubble. "That was three days ago…"

"Oh." Eric's beaming expression fell, and he appeared to be searching his mind. "What was I going to do today then?"

Sheldon let out an exasperated sigh. "You are spending the night at my apartment and then catching the midday train to Seattle."

Eric snapped his fingers. "That was it!"

"You can stay in Leonard's old room." Sheldon announced nonchalantly while grabbing a hold of his suitcase again. "Shall we?" he motioned the others to head towards the exit.

The group had already taken a few steps in that direction before Sheldon's statement seemed to register with Leonard, who rushed to catch up with his roommate. "Wait… what? My _old_ room?"

Sheldon turned to look at him strangely. "Yes." He replied as if stating the obvious. "You said you were moving out. I am not going to stop you living your life anymore, Leonard."

Leonard stopped walking and widened his eyes at Penny as the others walked on ahead. After a few seconds of disbelieving silence, he took off on a jog once again to catch up with Sheldon.

"I didn't mean RIGHT AWAY!"

* * *

"So you haven't moved out yet?" Sheldon inquired, snuggling down into his spot and sporting a much-pleased expression at the feel of the familiar cushions surrounding him.

"Of course I haven't!" Leonard exclaimed while setting down the pizza boxes on top of the coffee table. "It's not something that happens from one day to the next. I just said that once Penny and I are married we will be moving in together." He stared Sheldon down before adding "_Alone_."

Sheldon reached for a slice of pizza, acting very composed. "And when would that be?"

"We haven't picked a date yet." Penny cut into the conversation. "But I found out my brother is going to be free again next summer, so probably some time around then."

Leonard nodded in confirmation and he plopped down in his armchair. "So, as you see, there was no need to freak out. There is plenty of time for you to get adjusted to the idea of new living arrangements."

Sheldon tossed a look at Amy from the corner of his eye, almost expecting a comment on the matter, but she was just quietly munching away at her pizza, eyes unfocused.

"First of all, I did not _freak out_." He made air-quotations, mocking Leonard's tone of voice.

"Oh, you didn't?" Leonard snorted. "What do you call running away like some emo teenager, without warning anyone, in the spur of the moment?"

Sheldon sat up straighter in his seat to give himself a sense of authority. "A logical choice at a time when being submerged in my problems did not allow me to gain a clear perspective on things."

"And running away gave you that perspective?"

"No."

"Ah!" Leonard turned victoriously to Penny. "I told you!"

"_However_… That's not to say I didn't get some… degree of clarity." He put his plate back on the table and folded his hands in his lap, stealing yet another glance at Amy before continuing. "Such as the fact that life on the road isn't really… suited to a creature of habit and order like myself. And most definitely not favorable to finding any kind of solution to my problems."

"You don't say…" Amy muttered from her seat.

Sheldon stopped talking and turned to face her for a second, but she just reached out for her drink, ignoring him, so he turned back to address the rest of the room. "It was draining. The scarcity of overnight trains forced me into seeking refuge at affordable establishments, resulting into several sleepless nights caused by loud motorcycle gangs, drunkards, suspicious-looking customers and the vigorous coitus of neighbors."

"Which are not necessarily mutually exclusive." Eric interjected from the other end of the couch.

"I spent more time planning my next destination than using my mental faculties to solve my predicaments. I thought of finding one place to settle at for an indefinite amount of time but I failed to find it either due to location, temperature, humidity, sleeping arrangements, suitable food provision, and, last but not the least, proximity to good comic book and/or train stores."

"Not necessarily in that order." Eric added again.

"Consequently…" Sheldon concluded. "I have come to accept that the only place where I could achieve a level of concentration conducive to thinking is the comfort of my own clean, ordered and pristine bedroom."

"Well, if it's any consolation, you still lasted longer than I thought you would…" Leonard commented.

Penny tilted her head in Eric's direction. "Not to be rude but… where does he fit in all this?"

"We bumped into each other again in Napa Valley. Just like the first time." Eric smiled happily. "It _was_ confusing for a little while." He added with a frown. "Like living in a constant state of deja-vu'. I had to check my calendar several times."

That seemed to finally pique Amy's interest. Startled out of apparent contemplation, she turned her head to look at Sheldon. "You went back to Napa? You didn't tell me you were at Napa at any point during your calls."

Sheldon shifted lightly in his seat. "Um… Yeah. I needed something familiar in the midst of all the chaos, and I have to admit, that weekend was very… comfortable… for me." He broke eye contact. "Your choice of accommodation was impeccable."

"And so I just asked Sheldon of his plans." Eric continued babbling on. "He told me all about his trip and I asked if I could join him."

"And I said I'd rather be alone."

Eric leaned over so he could look at Sheldon, a puzzled expression on his face. "You did?"

"Yes." Sheldon sighed. "Thirteen times to be precise. Before I grew too accustomed to your presence."

"I have to say… I am very surprised to hear that this unplanned, spontaneous and unexpected trip did not work out the way you hoped…" Leonard's comment dripped with sarcasm, and he leaned on his elbows to look straight at Penny, who was sitting in her chair on his left.

She just rolled her eyes before swatting his arm. "Oh, will you give it a rest!"

"I'm just glad things now can go back to normal…" Leonard added, genuinely satisfied.

"Well… not so fast, Leonard." Sheldon corrected him. "Like I said, I have gained _some_ clarity while away. And since I am after all still on academic-sabbatical, I have decided I will continue using my time productively and treat this as a life-sabbatical."

"A life-sabbatical? What does that mean? You're going to put everything on hold and just vegetate in your room?"

"In laymen terms, you're partly correct. Except that this never vegetates, Leonard." Sheldon replied, tapping his temple. "Meanwhile, I will neither hinder nor interfere with anybody's life…" He added solemnly.

Leonard and Penny simultaneously recoiled in their seats from the shocks.

"Really?!" Leonard asked in disbelief. "No interference? No trips to the barber, dentist, allergist or the grocery store to exchange grapes too dark to be classified as red instead of black grapes?"

"No."

"I can have omelets and coffee in your apartment at 11am on a Sunday?" Penny asked.

"Yes."

"And I can take showers outside of my designated bathroom slots?"

"You may even move your bowels whenever it suits you, Leonard."

Leonard and Penny looked at each other, astonished, speaking at the same time.

"This seems almost too good to be true!"

"I told you this trip would do him good!"

Their cheerfulness, however, was short lived, as Sheldon added. "Starting Monday."

"I knew there was a catch…" The bespectacled physicist rolled his eyes.

"Surely, Leonard, you don't expect me to begin a new process on a Wednesday. I need to start afresh. Plus, I have a guest who I, i.e. we, will accompany to the train store in Glendale before his departure tomorrow, I desperately need a haircut, and to stock up on groceries." Sheldon's voice took on a subdued tone as he added "And there are other… matters I need to sort out before I begin my life-sabbatical…" He fidgeted in his seat again, stealing another glance at Amy from the corner of his eye.

"I guess it's a small price to pay for an interference-free life, Leonard…" Penny patted her fiance's arm in sympathy. She then turned her attention to Amy, who had put her empty plate back on the coffee table and was rising from her seat. "What? Are you leaving already?"

Amy smoothed down some barely noticeable wrinkles on her skirt and adjusted her purse over her shoulder. "Yes." She looked down at Sheldon. "I'm glad you're home safe and sound, but I will also abide by the Prime Directive and leave you be. I will still see you tomorrow, as we planned?"

Sheldon looked momentarily stumped and he could only nod at his girlfriend, as she uttered a formal but satisfied "Good" before bidding her farewell to the others and leaving the apartment, and a silent room behind her.

Sheldon stared at the door long after it had closed, before turning to Leonard, wide-eyed. "Did she… did she just reference Star Trek to me?"

* * *

**A/N: **The prize for "Most Intuitive Reader" goes to Cecilia who figured out that the companion was Eric from one line of dialogue in the previous chapter! *hands over prize* Maybe it was a bit predictable, but I happen to think Eric is an amazing comedy valve, and I hope I did him some justice.

If everything goes according to plans, I am hoping to get chapter 3 up before the season premiere taping, again to avoid being too influenced by spoilers. It's going to be the hardest one so far, and judging by how long it took me to finish this, it will be down to the wire. But I shall try!

*jingle*.


	3. The Prime Directive Application

**Chapter 2: The Prime Directive Application **

**Summary:** After many a relationship struggle, Sheldon and Amy finally find themselves on the same page.

**A/N: **Longer chapter with this update, but necessary. I know there has not been an awful lot of Shamy interaction so far in the story, but there was a reason I wanted to save it all up for its own chapter. I was aiming to post this before the season premiere taped and I'm quite pleased I made it! Hurray for deadlines!

Huge thanks to Lio for the feedback, which was more crucial than ever for me on this one. You have no idea how valuable it is to me!

As usual, I don't own TBBT or any of its characters. If I did, is this how I would write Sheldon's reunion with Amy? Good question, to be honest. For once, I don't really have an answer to that!

* * *

After nearly seven weeks of absence, the familiar three sets of triple knocks returned to her front door.

At the sound, Amy jolted in her desk chair, ripped from a deep level of concentration, and she glanced at the clock in the top corner of her screen to see it was four minutes past Sheldon's scheduled arrival time.

She barely had the chance to get up and open the door before Sheldon waltzed in, slightly breathless, and scolding his own watch. "My apologies for the delay. After we dropped Eric off, Leonard insisted we take an alternate route from the station, despite my objections that he had not checked for roadwork in the area in advance."

He spun around by the kitchen counter and crossed his arms. "Needless to say, I was right and he was wrong. And I made sure to remind him of that the whole nine minutes we spent stuck in a one-way, one-lane street, accompanied by the deafening sound of a sledgehammer."

For a reason she could not quite pinpoint, Amy felt her lips involuntarily curl into a smile at his trademark outburst about punctuality.

"It's okay. I was rather engrossed in writing a paper and had actually lost track of time until you knocked." She gestured towards the couch and made her way back to the desk. "Just give me a moment to save my work…"

Sheldon nodded and went to take his bag off his shoulder, moving towards the couch. He froze just as he was about to place it in the empty armchair, and jerked his bag back to his chest, as if the seat had been on fire.

Puzzled, he looked at the armchair, then at the couch, then back again.

After a couple of more seconds of stalling, he slung the bag back over his shoulder and quickly picked up the colorful crocheted quilt off the back of the armchair. He spun around, removed the beige checkered blanket from the back of the couch and replaced it with the quilt.

Once he neatly folded the beige blanket and laid it gently over the back of the armchair, he let out a satisfied sigh and finally put his bag down on it, sporting a content smile.

The smile fell off his lips quickly when he turned around to find Amy staring at him, her hands on her hips.

"Really, Sheldon?"

The physicist sheepishly traced the edge of the armrest with his index finger, avoiding eye contact. "I just put the quilt back where it belongs, that's all…"

Amy shook her head and turned to the kitchen to make tea. "And I just thought I'd change things around my home a little…" She shouted over her shoulder

"Well, I don't like it…" Sheldon plopped down on the couch and ran his hand over the quilt. "This is the couch throw. That is the armchair throw. It's how it's always been."

"How it's always been… in _my_ home." Amy stressed the possessive pronoun by vigorously dunking two teabags in their respective mugs.

She carried them over to the couch and sat down in the empty spot next to Sheldon, who still avoided her eye contact. "What happened to your vow not to _'interfere with anyone's life'_, Sheldon?"

"I told you!" He huffed, finally looking up at her. "I'm starting on Monday…"

"Besides…" she continued, handing him his mug. ""I wasn't aware I needed your permission to change things around in _my_ home."

Sheldon sighed deeply. A silence longer than normal stretched between them and he stared down at the mug in his hands.

After years of practice, Amy knew his sighs and his silences like the back of her hand. She knew very well what most of them meant and what she was to expect after each of them. The 'condescending sigh, the 'frustrated' sigh, the 'defeated' sigh, the 'Leonard-has-hung-the-pots-over-the-sink-on-the-wrong-hooks' sigh. And many others.

So she just kept an eye on him over the brim of her cup, knowing full well the wheels were currently in motion in his head, trying to bring up a topic he was uncomfortable with.

Her suspicions were confirmed when Sheldon opened his mouth to speak again, a slightly uncertain tone to his voice. "I have to… acknowledge… that I am much more resistant to change than the average human being."

Amy didn't even bat an eye; she just mumbled under her breath and took a sip of her tea. "I would have never guessed…"

He shot her a look of annoyance, but it was brief. His eyes lost the glare very quickly and he looked almost ashamed by his admission, his eyes darting back to his mug. "After all… it was my difficulty in adapting to change that prompted my most recent… journey."

"_And it only took you seven weeks to admit it."_ Amy , instead, she kept her tone neutral. "I gathered as much…"

His voice changed to a fluid, lecturing quality then, as if he were regurgitating something he had already repeated to himself over and over. "I understand now that change is an inevitable part of the human condition. And that, despite my best attempts to influence others' free will, people will continue to exert change in my life, whether I like it or not."

"Change is the only constant in life, Sheldon."

"No need to cite Heraclitus on me, now, smarty pants." He scoffed at her interruption, then paused again. He sounded distressed when he resumed talking.

"Change complicates things, Amy! It was never as evident to me as during these weeks." The fingers of both his hands wrapped all the way around the mug, and tightened their grip. "There was so much uncertainty, every day, so many changes to adjust to. It was overwhelming."

He broke eye contact once again, his voice small. "Talking to you every evening was the only certain, predictable thing. And it was soothing to me."

Amy stopped drinking at that, her apparent neutrality threatened as she swallowed a sudden lump in her throat.

She didn't speak, though, and he continued on.

"It reminded me of how things were between us when we first met. Things were so much simpler back then. Before… before you changed."

As it was often the case with Sheldon, Amy didn't have time to feel moved for very long. Her shoulders sagged. "That was four years ago, of course I have changed!" she exclaimed. "You just said it yourself: change is an inevitable part of the human condition."

Sheldon puffed his chest out, his voice rising a little. "Just because I have accepted that it is part of the human condition doesn't mean I have started liking it." He said with finality.

A sudden, thick silence fell between them, and Amy rested her teacup on the coffee table with painful slowness. A slowness that made Sheldon feel inexplicably uncomfortable.

"Am I to infer…" Amy's voice was calm and seemingly devoid of any emotion. "Am I to infer, from all the evidence you've put on the table so far, that since _I_ have changed and _you_ don't like change… that _you_ don't like _me_ anymore?"

Despite her apparent stoicism, her voiced cracked slightly on the last syllable.

Sheldon almost recoiled in his seat, completely blindsided by her question. "What?! I… no! I…" he stuttered and fell silent again. He watched her take a deep breath, as if to compose herself, and his anxiety started to rise as he waited for her to speak.

When she raised her eyes to his again, instead of the anger he expected, he saw a look of determination. "Well, you know what's ironic, Sheldon?"

He figured it was a rhetoric question, but he shook his head no, just to be on the safe side.

"If you had left me where you found me… and never asked for my number, never texted me… Then never asked me out on a date. If you had listened to your mother and never rekindled our relationship back when you first had the chance to let me go, instead of working your way into my life and introducing me to your… our… friends… Then I would have _never_ changed."

Sheldon was not sure he liked the direction the conversation was taking, but he let her finish. "So here's the irony for you, Sheldon: cause and effect. You did this." She gestured at herself. "_You_ changed _me_."

His assumption confirmed, Sheldon looked down in his lap, feeling like she had just trapped his Queen in a game of chess. _"_Touche'_…"_

"So don't use that against me, this was all your doing."

"Well, now… not all of it." Sheldon feebly protested. "Maybe fifty percent…"

"Ninety-five."

"Seventy."

"Eighty."

"Fine." He grumbled in defeat.

Amy swallowed, and her voice seemed to break again. "And I'm sorry if now you don't like me anymore, but you have yourself to blame."

Upon seeing her cool demeanor crack, and her hurt seep through, a flash of guilt ran through Sheldon's eyes. But it was quickly replaced by the feeling he was most familiar with: annoyance.

"You know, Amy… being an accomplished neurobiologist does not make you a mind reader. And you of all people should know better than putting words in my mouth!" he barked at her. "I have _never_ said I do not like you! I understand you were not graced at birth with my eidetic memory, but surely you must remember this quote… _I like you for who you are, quirks and all._"

It was Amy's turn to be taken aback, and Sheldon took advantage of his momentary upper hand to further his argument. "Yes. _All_ your quirks. Including your irritating habit of biting your fingernails when you are reading, which, besides the insufferable noise it subjects me to, is one of the most unhygienic compulsions you could ever indulge in. Or how you refuse to have a clothes rotation but then become a grouch when none of your clean t-shirts match the color of the cardigan you want to wear that day. Or when you insist on writing your grocery list in your latest made up language and then get frustrated with me because I mix up bread and dish soap! And what about all these monkeys?" he waved his hands, gesturing around the room. "Staring at me from every angle of this apartment." He leaned in closer and lowered his voice to a hiss. "Even in the bathroom!"

Amy looked down at her lap. "Sheldon…"

"But not just your quirks!" He interrupted her, rolling like a freight train at full speed. "I like you _changes_ and all. Penny and Bernadette brainwashed you into all sorts of stereotypical female malarkey, from all that wine drinking to the preposterous dates in fancy suits. Yet I _still_ like you! Despite the fact that I am not even sure how much of this is something you genuinely enjoy or just conditioning from too much bonding with those hens."

Despite her elation at hearing those words, Amy was caught off guard by his opinion on her female friendships.

"I never considered that…" she wrinkled her forehead in contemplation. "I have to admit, there are things I do exclusively in the name of feminine peer-bonding. Like when they decided to start having that monthly online shoe-shopping evening. Or their weekly reality tv catch-up night." She frowned. "I think Rajesh enjoys it way more than I do."

Satisfied with having made his point, Sheldon nodded and sipped his beverage with a confident, smug expression. "_Point Cooper."_

"However…" Amy wrung her hands in her lap, knowing she was about to bring up a most delicate topic. "There are things I do genuinely want for myself… for _us_. And not because of… any sort of conditioning." She glanced up at Sheldon, whose expression told her he knew exactly what she was talking about. "And I know it isn't something I wanted in the past, when we first met. But now… I do. I genuinely do."

Sheldon closed his eyes and sighed his I-hate-this-inevitable-conversation sigh. Recognizing it, Amy rushed to finish before he could get a word in. "And you've been sending an awful lot of mixed signals in that area, Sheldon… In case you weren't aware." She added under her breath.

"I am." Sheldon exhaled and avoided eye contact, focusing instead on the seam of her cardigan as it wrapped around her shoulder. "What has become painstakingly obvious in recent times is that it was foolish of me to alter the paradigm of our relationship and expect things to remain as they were. I should have known that, sooner or later, you would have lured me astray."

Amy rolled her eyes. "Shel…"

"But…" It was his turn to interrupt and finish his rally. "The reason I keep sending all these 'mixed signals' " he made air-quotes. "… is that, just like with you and your… hens… I am not even sure anymore what I want because I want it and what I want because you want it from me." He paused. "It's confusing, Amy. And it's a lot of pressure. And buying time is the only way I have of figuring things out."

He finally tried to make eye contact, but she immediately looked away.

His next question was low and pained. "And I'm running out of time, now… aren't I?"

Amy's ribcage expanded a tad bit more than normal at the question, but she still didn't look at him. "We just… seem to have reached an impasse."

The statement brought a feeling of déjà vu to Sheldon, and for a moment he thought his nostrils had actually inhaled the smell of twenty-five cats. It wasn't a direct answer to his question, but it came close.

"You're not the only one who's been doing a lot of thinking during these seven weeks." Amy's voice sounded calm and logical again. "And I have to agree with you completely that our communication over these weeks has been immensely pleasurable. More so than it has been in a while…"

Sheldon looked so pleasantly surprised upon hearing her say this that she thought his face might burst, as the first genuine smile of the evening bloomed on his face.

"So…" Amy continued. "I have a proposal."

"Go on…" Sheldon encouraged her eagerly, turning to face her more directly, still smiling.

"It is clear to me that the current context of our relationship is not doing either of us any good. Therefore…" she inhaled deeply before continuing, gathering the courage to say it out loud. "I suggest we suspend all rights and obligations we are bound to as per the Relationship Agreement. For an indeterminate period."

The smile fell off Sheldon's face. "Indeterminate?"

"Yes. Indeterminate. As in a… relationship-sabbatical." She waved her hands between them. "To borrow the concept from your plans for the near future."

Sheldon eyed her carefully. "While I think your idea is brilliant, a sabbatical has a pre-determinate length, Amy. You know that. My sabbatical does in fact end in October." He fidgeted in his seat. "Unless we are talking physics, I am not particularly comfortable with the concept of indeterminacy."

"You can't put a deadline on this, Sheldon." Amy replied, firmly. "You said it yourself: you need time to sort out your life and that you won't interfere with anyone's life in the process. We just can't be in the same room 24/7 and not interfere with each other's life."

Sheldon scoffed. "Of course, not! For the tenth time, Amy, you are _not_ moving in!"

"It was a figure of speech!" Amy shouted.

"Oh!" The physicist looked down at his hands, embarrassed.

"Prime Directive, Sheldon…" She tilted her chin at him. "No interference with the development of an alien civilization, even when well-intentioned. With a few tweaks, it's a fairly fitting concept for our situation."

"So…" Sheldon smirked at her. "You do admit that one can turn to Star Trek during times of hardship."

Amy snorted. "I have not been turning to Star Trek. I just paid attention all the times you made me watch it. Mine was merely a conceptual point to help you understand my opinion by using material you're familiar with."

The atmosphere in the room felt much lighter for a moment, but a long silence followed, Sheldon's concerns not having been entirely dissipated.

He swallowed hard before speaking.

"You do realize that an "indeterminate" amount of time can include up to…" he paused and stared at her face, clear-eyed and unmoving. "Forever?"

Amy returned his stare, her gaze unwavering. "I know."

They held each other's gaze for a long time; the first time since Sheldon had arrived at her apartment, until Amy finally cleared her throat and reached for her tea.

"You can draft a document to notify the suspension, if that makes you more comfortable than me doing it, and we can sign it before Monday so we can begin our sabbaticals." Amy suggested.

More silence followed, as Sheldon studied her for a long time. When she arched her eyebrows at him questioningly, Sheldon nodded. "Ok."

They both sipped their tea in silence for a few minutes, as a sudden, unfamiliar awareness that there was nothing more to say hung between them.

"Would you like me to drive you home?" Amy asked, talking into her mug.

Even Sheldon, for all his usual inability to understand cues, knew he had been dismissed. He shook his head and made a move to get up. "I've just returned from spending weeks riding trains across the West. I think I can manage a bus ride home if need be."

Amy also rose from her seat, wiping her hands on her thighs as she stood. "Will you bring me the draft of the… document? Or will you email it to me?"

"I think… email is probably best."

"Right."

Sheldon secured the strap of his bag across his torso and made his way to the door. He turned around to face her as they reached the threshold.

"Well… Goodnight, Amy."

"Goodnight, Sheldon."

The taller man did not make a move to leave, though, and he rubbed the sole of his shoe against the carpet. "This was… technically meant to be a Date Night." He leaned forward slightly, his voice soft. "I don't know what it is under the new parameters, but…"

"Goodnight, Sheldon." Amy repeated, decisively, taking him by surprise with her tone.

He sprung straight up like a tin soldier.

"Goodnight…" He looked down at his shoes one last time and left the apartment.

The door hadn't even been closed five seconds, when the sets of knocks came raining down on it again.

Amy stood with her back to the door and was tempted to just ignore it, but eventually reached for the doorknob to open it again. "What?"

Sheldon rushed in past her towards the bookcase and took the tambourine-playing monkey off the top of the bookcase to place it on the top shelf instead, and moved the ceramic phrenology head back in its original place on top of the bookcase.

"I'm sorry, it was driving me nuts!" He explained, apologetically.

"GOODNIGHT, SHELDON!" Amy shouted, shoving him out of the door and locking it with the latch.

With angry determination, she turned to the bookcase and stood on her tiptoes, reaching for the monkey and the ceramic bust. Just as she was about to pick them up and swap them around again, she faltered, and came back down on her feet, her hands dropping to her sides.

Staring up at the two objects, Amy shook her head and smiled. She reached for the light switch by the door instead, and as the lights dimmed in the room, so did her smile. She stood by the bookcase, in the dark, long after they had turned off.

Downstairs, at the bus stop, Sheldon was busy hugging his messenger bag to his chest and moving from one side of the bus stop to the other, desperately trying to get away from the apparently unstable, short, stocky, bleached woman with far too many tattoos who was pacing up and down the pavement, shouting obscenities over and over.

"And I thought being a hobo, riding the rails, was bad. When will this nightmare end?" He mumbled to himself.

Unfortunately for him, being the lone passenger awaiting the bus at that moment and his constant movement attracted the woman's attention.

"And who are you?!" She shouted, coming right up to his face. "You look like a weirdo! I have never seen you here!"

"I beg to differ, ma'am." Sheldon flinched and backed into the glass of the timetable. "I have taken this bus in the past, and _I_ have never seen _you_ here."

"Bullshit!" A spit of saliva shot out of her mouth at her exclamation, and hit Sheldon square in the chest, making him whimper and shudder.

"Although I have been away for nearly two months and usually it is my roommate who drives me, so we might have missed each other!" Sheldon let out all in one breath, closing his eyes praying a deity he didn't believe in that the bus came quickly or that the woman lost interest in him.

She kept shouting in his face. "Do you live here?!"

Sheldon shook his head, vigorously. "No, I live in Pasadena. My girlf…"

He stumbled upon the word, and his eyes snapped open. He appeared to look the woman straight in the eye, but his gaze was unfocused. It made her back away a little, looking slightly creeped out, just as the bus pulled up at the stop.

The doors opened but Sheldon did not make a move to enter. The driver leaned towards the door, gesturing at the pair whether they wanted to get on or not.

The woman stepped foot on the ladder and turned around to Sheldon again, shouting. "Aren't you getting on you, you weirdo?!"

Sheldon remained frozen in place. "No. I… I feel like walking." He replied, softly.

The vehicle's doors closed with a hiss, and the bus pulled away, leaving him standing in the dim light of the streetlight, alone.

* * *

**A/N: **I have to admit this was the hardest chapter I've probably ever written, and I hope I didn't disappoint you. Like I said at the beginning, I'm not sure whether this is how I would necessarily write their reunion if I was a writer for the show (although it would be one of my top choices). But, as I mentioned in the first chapter, I've wanted to write this kind of Shamy story for a year now, and the S7 finale worked just perfectly as a trigger.

I assume that, from here on, the story will diverge quite a bit from the way S8 plays out on screen, making it essentially an AU. But I have a lot of plans and I'm really looking forward to writing them out; the fun is just starting for me now! I hope it's just starting for you too.

*jingle*


	4. The Suspension Repercussions

**Chapter 3: The Suspension Repercussions**

**Summary: **In the aftermath of Sheldon and Amy's "relationship suspension", spirits are rattled in unexpected ways.

**A/N: **Took me a while to get this one out, but life has kept me rather busy lately. Sorry for the wait. I've been absolutely delighted by the all the lovely reviews I've received so far, so thank you all for taking the time to leave comments on my story!

Thanks to Lio, who's now officially been drowned… frowned… CROWNED! my beta, for making sure I don't post a whole load of nonsense. You are awesome.

I don't own TBBT or any of its characters. If I did, there probably would be no #Bolaro and the world would be a much sadder place.

* * *

Leonard Hofstadter knew a thing or two about heartache and breakups. Although the engagement ring on Penny's hand proved the current solidity of their relationship, the scars of their previous breakup still lingered, making him particularly sensitive to the relationship turmoil of others.

Regardless, even his experience and sensitive nature left him unequipped to deal with the scene he was currently witnessing at a cafeteria table of the physics department.

Choked sobs and hiccups shook his friend's body as fat tears dropped onto his untouched lunch, soaking the bread in the plate. Leonard slid another paper napkin across the table, exchanging a glance with Howard; partly worried, partly embarrassed by the attention they were attracting from the other members of staff eating their lunch at nearby tables.

"Look." Leonard took a deep breath, trying to find the right words to soothe his friend. "I know it's difficult to wrap your mind around this right now. But, you know what? I think it was the right choice. It's going to be ok."

The physicist sitting across the table blew his nose loudly into the napkin, causing Leonard to flinch back in his chair. "How can you be sure?!" he hiccupped.

Leonard sighed, leaning his elbows against the table and speaking in a soft voice. "I'm not. I can't be sure. But I just… I feel this might be for the best in the long run."

"And this is supposed to make me feel better? Empty promises that everything is going to be ok?!" The table shook with the force of palms slamming onto it, startling the people nearby.

"Oh for the love of God, will you get a hold of yourself! You're making a scene!" Howard hissed, looking around at the stares they were receiving. "And why are you so upset about this anyway?"

"You don't understand!" Big, sad eyes turned to stare right into Wolowitz's. "I started this! It was all my doing. And it was solid and reliable and certain for so many years and now… now it's gone!" He sobbed.

"Uh-oh. Guys, guys…" Leonard interrupted the conversation, looking over Howard's shoulder. "Shush. Here she comes."

The bespectacled man forced an unnaturally wide smile and raised a hand to wave at the approaching neurobiologist. "Hey, Amy!"

"Come on, put on a brave face." Howard whispered, elbowing his friend in the side. "You don't want her to see you like this."

Amy greeted the group with an uncertain nod as she eyed the scene. "Hi guys…"

She pulled out a chair and set her tray down in front of her, taking a seat next to Leonard. She exchanged a couple of concerned, questioning looks with Leonard and Howard, but the two just pursed their lips and shook their heads.

Tentatively, she leaned forward to peer at the downcast eyes of the man sitting across from her. "Are you ok?"

"YOU of all people? YOU are asking me that?!" Raj shot up from his seat like it just bit him. "NO, I'M NOT OK!" He grabbed his tray, and stormed out of the room, shouting over his shoulder. "Just leave me alone, all of you!"

A stunned silence filled the cafeteria. The three scientists left at the table stared, mouth agape, at the doorway Raj just disappeared into.

Amy shook a napkin onto her lap, still staring at the doorway. "What was that all about?" she asked, as the chatter in the room picked up again.

"I told him about…" Leonard glanced over at Howard, trailing off. "I told him about you and Sheldon." He answered, uneasily, unsure as to whether it was too soon to broach the subject with Amy.

The sentence stopped Amy cold, as if a switch controlling her movements had been suddenly turned off. "Oh." She looked down at the table.

The two men stared uncertainly at each other in the silence that followed, but Amy seemed to shake off whatever discomfort she felt fairly quickly, and she resumed her lunch preparations. "And that's why he's crying?"

"No." Howard replied, sardonically. "He is on his period."

Howard's lame attempt to a joke seemed to fall on deaf ears, as Amy just blinked at him, unresponsive.

Noticing her uncertainty, Leonard felt a pang of sympathy for her. "Let's just say he didn't take the news of your… breakup very well." The physicist delicately explained.

Amy abruptly broke eye contact and straightened her spine. Picking up her fork, she said firmly: "Sheldon and I are not… broken up." She faltered briefly and cleared the hoarseness out of her throat. "We have merely suspended our relationship status for an indefinite period." Her return to a robotic monotone gave Leonard an odd sense of deja-vu.

He nodded and pursed his lips, trying his best to hide a skeptical look. "Right. I forgot that's the legal definition."

Amy paused from taking a bite of her salad to shoot Leonard an irritated look. "Just think of it as the difference separation and divorce. If this were a marriage - which also involves a contract, by the way - Sheldon and I would be separated, not divorced. I know what you're thinking, Leonard, but this is not just a perfunctory distinction to mask our denial."

Howard coughed something that sounded distinctly like the word "_denial_" into a closed fist. He coughed again, peering up at the brunette across the table before gently patting his chest

"Well, I trust you guys know how to handle the situation…" Leonard stated.

"You do?" Howard asked, surprised.

Leonard made a funny face in response, arching his right eyebrow so hard Howard seemed to wince at the rebuke. "_No_." He mouthed back at him, shaking his head.

However, Amy was too busy using a fork to poke at her food and missed this exchange. Instead she looked up and beamed at Leonard, delighted by his support. "Thank you, Leonard."

"Besides…" she continued, now with a confident and cheerful tone in her voice. "Between my project here and the one back at UCLA, my workload is becoming rather heavy. So this will be a productive break from the social obligations of dating." She chomped on a tomato. "More time in the lab, less time sitting through tedious space movies."

If Leonard and Howard had any response regarding those tedious, juvenile space movies, they were drowned out by the sound of stomping feet and soft sobs storming back through the cafeteria as Raj launched himself at the frozen yogurt machine and starting to fill up cup after cup with the creamy dessert.

"I haven't seen him this upset since that couple from Twilight split up." Howard commented, looking over his shoulder at the upset astrophysicist now stuffing his face with cherries.

"Guess he really has a soft spot for pale-looking couples…" grinning widely at his own joke before he catching Amy bewildered stare. "Nevermind." He said, and with one last look at Howard, he sheepishly swallowed his grin, turning his attention back to his lunch.

* * *

"No sign of Sheldon, yet?" Penny plopped down on the couch next to her fiancé, linking her arm through his and leaning her head against his shoulder.

"No…" Leonard replied. His eyes, which were glued to the tv screen as he absent mindedly flipped through yet another channel, darted to the empty spot to his left. "He is really sticking to his vow of non-interference. The only times I see him are when he has to eat, use the bathroom or catch an episode of the shows he's watching. Which is actually rare right now, it being summer. Everything worth watching is still on hiatus."

"So you haven't spoken to him at all after he announced the… interruption… breakup… pause thingy…" She waved her hand in the air. "Whatever that is?"

"No. But I saw Amy at work today and she seems to be doing surprisingly well." He frowned. "Sometimes with these two I really start to question whether skin jobs are just a fictional creation…" He added, mumbling.

Penny nodded in agreement."Oh no, our Shamy prove humanoid robots are _totally_ real," Penny cut in firmly and without hesitation. Then, she suddenly shot up straight on the couch beside him, eyes wide. "Wait, what just came out of my mouth? How do I know that?" She whispered to herself.

Leonard turned his head to face her. "What?"

"Nothing..." the blonde jumped up from her seat, heading towards the back of the apartment.

"Where are you going?" Leonard called after her.

"I'm going to check up on Sheldon."

"Wha... No, no, no!" He muted the television and dropped the remote on the coffee table, running after his girlfriend. "He's been fine and quiet and relatively normal… Well, for Sheldon. Why do you have to go poke the sleeping bear?!"

"Oh, come on, he just broke up with his girlfriend!" She exclaimed, taking long strides towards the bedrooms. "Someone has to make sure he's ok!"

"Pen… Ugh!" Leonard looked up at the ceiling and began counting under his breath, wincing as he heard the doorway to Sheldon's room open and the immediate cackle of arguing voices. He didn't even make it to ten before the sounds of stomping feet boomed down the hallway. The physicist pinched his nose and exhaled, as his girlfriend scurried back over to side. "There we go…"

"I gave you one instruction, Penny. One. And you can't even follow that." Sheldon stopped by the landing, hands on his hips, looking as menacing as Leonard had predicted. "How hard is it to understand that waltzing into my bedroom, _without knocking,_ defies the whole concept of _non-interference_? Or, to use a technical definition you might be more familiar with, _leaving me alone_?"

His already tall stature towered over his friends even more than usual from his position on the step. "And you…" Sheldon pointed to his best friend. "You are engaged now and yet you are still unable to keep your woman in line? Seriously. You have a PhD and she is a two-time community college dropout. How hard can it be?"

"Ok, ok, ok! First of all!" Penny shouted. "First of all, _nobody_ keeps me in line."

"Especially a straight line when she's had one too many…" Leonard chimed in.

"And, in any case…" Penny continued, shooting an annoyed glance at Leonard, who smirked and bit his lip. "It's not his fault, Sheldon. I was just worried about you." she added, her voice softer.

"I am telling you, Penny. I am fine." He replied with confidence.

"You are _not_ fine, Sheldon! I haven't even seen you at all in four days!" Penny's voice rose again in frustration.

"I assure you. I am fine!" Sheldon huffed, his aggravation growing. "I just asked for peace, quiet, and privacy as I sort out some rather important matters regarding my life and career. A wish that you are apparently unwilling to respect."

"Ok, Sheldon, I am sorry but I have to give it to Penny here." Leonard interjected, in support of his girlfriend. "How can you be fine with this? Last time you guys broke up, you got twenty-five cats to keep you company!"

Sheldon rolled his eyes. "This situation is completely different. To use terms familiar to you laymen, Amy and I are separated…"

"Not divorced. I get it, I get it." Leonard interrupted him, raising his hands in surrender. "I have heard it all before!"

"Yes." Sheldon nodded. "And as you're planning to tie the knot yourself in the near future, you should familiarize yourself with these differences. God knows when Penny will decide to dump you again."

The couple groaned in unison.

"Look, Sheldon…" Penny brought her hands together against her chest. "I'm sorry. We respect your wishes. We are just worried about you guys."

"Good Lord, Penny, how many times do I have to repeat myself? There is _nothing_ to worry about! I am in complete control of the situation."

Leonard and Penny exchanged a skeptical look, not unlike the many Leonard shared with Howard earlier in the day when subjected to similar reassurances from Amy, but they kept quiet.

Sheldon raised a finger at them, as if warning two small children. "I am now going to head back to my room and, once again, I ask you both not to interfere with my life sabbatical. If you are not amenable to respect my wishes for solitude, and should more incidents like this occur, then I will have to implement additional measures to ensure the protection of my rights." He tapped his chin, turning on his heels and began walking back towards his bedroom. Just before he turned the corner of the hallway, he spun back to his friends one last time. "Like a ban of all non-residents from this apartment." And with that announcement, he disappeared from view.

Leonard turned to Penny, his eyes wide in shock at Sheldon's last remark. "See what you have done?" He hissed.

Penny's head jerked back in disbelief and she pointed to her chest. "Me?!"

"Yes, you! Why do you always have to make things worse?!"

"How do _I _always make things worse?"

"Well, for starters, you were the one who decided it would be a good idea to let him get on that train, despite my objections! If he had stayed, maybe this entire, ridiculous situation would have never happened! But _you_ thought it was _for the best…_" Leonard mocked her voice as he quoted her. "For the best? Running away to live like a hobo? In seven years, have you really learned nothing about how Sheldon functions?"

"Oh, don't you dare blaming it all on me! All I'm trying to do is be a good friend." Penny fumed. "_I_ am the one who doesn't get how he ticks?!" She took two angry steps closer to Leonard and poked her index finger in the middle of his chest. "If _you_ hadn't freaked him out by bringing up living arrangements TWO days into our engagement, then he would have never wanted to run away in the first place! But, no! Not Leonard Jump-The-Gun Hofstadter! You had to go ahead and rush into things, just like you always do!"

"And what is that supposed to mean?!" Leonard cried, his voice defensive.

"Oh, gee, I don't know…" Penny put her hands on her hips and looked at the ceiling, pretending to be racking her brain for answers. "Proposing during sex after we had been dating for barely two months?! Or just assuming you could move into my apartment without even asking if that was ok with me? You _always_ have to throw things at people before they're ready for it!"

With one final poke at Leonard's chest, Penny turned around and made her way to the front door.

"Where are you going now?!" Leonard called after her.

"I'm going to call Amy. And check up on her!" The blonde spun around, eyes still blazing with anger, and yelled: "Because I'm a _good friend_!"

The front door slammed shut, leaving Leonard staring at it, stunned, only to swing open again two seconds later.

"Oh, and before you ask... Yes, we are still dating!" Penny slammed the door shut one last time, closing it so hard the long claw sword nearly rattled off the wall.

Leonard reached out with one arm, grabbed the orange pillow from the armchair and muffled a scream into it.

* * *

It was early afternoon, and the corridors of the Physics department were still empty as its usual residents lingered over their lunches down in the cafeteria. Leonard raised a hand up to the brown doorframe, knocking softly but firmly. "Sheldon?" He called out.

"Come in!"

Leonard barely had the time to swing the door open before his roommate shoved a large whiteboard under each of his arms. "What are you doing?" He wobbled slightly, thrown off balance. "I thought you said you were just collecting some notes, not dismantling your office."

"I am." Sheldon confirmed, waving a couple of notebooks in the air before placing them inside a small cardboard box. "I just thought I could use a couple more whiteboards at home. Oh, and this!"

"A horse riding helmet?" Leonard frowned. "Why do you have a horse riding helmet in your office? Wait. Why do you have a horse riding helmet, full stop?"

"If I'm feeling sleepy, I don't want to risk dozing off and fall out of my chair without suitable head protection." He tossed the helmet in the box too and grabbed his bag, joining Leonard in the corridor. "Would you mind taking the boards with you in the car when you leave? They're too large for the bus."

"Yeah… sure." The shorter physicist readjusted the load under his arms, while Sheldon locked the door to his office. "But I actually dropped by to see if you wanted to grab lunch, since you're here..."

Sheldon smiled, but politely declined. "No, thanks. I'll eat at home. I have a lot to do."

He started making his way down the hallway, roommate in tow.

"Are you sure you don't want to join us in the cafeteria?" Leonard insisted. "Check out the new additions to the menu? Fill out a suggestion form or two? You haven't been here in over two months, there are so many new things for you to complain to the staff about."

"That would be fun, but no, thanks. I just want to go back home and resume my cogitation."

"But you haven't seen the guys in weeks. Don't you think it would do you good to take…" Leonard stopped dead in his tracks as something caught his eye further down the corridor. Fumbling to put both whiteboards under his left arm, he grabbed Sheldon with the other and suddenly began pulling him in the opposite direction. "To take the other bus route! Boy, the traffic at this time of day!"

Sheldon looked down at him, confused. "What traffic? It's lunchtime."

"Actually, you know what, I'll drive you home! The parking lot is this way, let's go!" He gave Sheldon's arm another tug, but the other man was too heavy for him to budge.

"Will you stop, manhandling me, Leonard?" Sheldon shouted, trying to free his arm. "What has gotten into you?!"

At the same time, similar yelling by a familiar voice resonated from the opposite end of the corridor.

"What's with all the grabbing? Why do you suddenly want to eat outside?"

The two roommates turned to the source of the commotion to see Amy, Howard and Raj approaching them. Amy was vigorously trying to shake off the two men, each holding one of her arms like she was a suspect in custody.

The moment Sheldon and Amy noticed each other's presence, Raj, Howard and Leonard all let out a sigh of defeat, simultaneously releasing the pair from their grips.

Sheldon swallowed hard, avoiding eye contact with everyone, while Amy looked down at her wrists, occupying herself with the task of readjusting the cuffs of her blouse. An awkward silence stretched over the group; panicked looks darting between Leonard and Howard, Raj and Leonard, Howard and Raj and then back again.

After squirming for a few moments, Howard decided to attempt conversation - anything to put an end to the discomfort of the situation. "Hi Sheldon…"

"Hello, Howard." Sheldon addressed him formally. "Rajesh."

Raj nodded in response. "Hey, Sheldon."

"Hi, Leonard." Howard continued with his greetings.

"Howard. Hi Amy."

"Hello, Leonard."

"Hey, Raj."

"Hey, Leonard."

After another long stretch of silence, Howard tried to dissipate the tension once again. "Isn't this nice!" He clapped his hands together. "We all know each other's name!"

"Hello, Amy…"

The words seemed like hot rocks dropped softly into a boiling teapot and at Sheldon's verbal acknowledgment of Amy's presence, Raj grabbed Howard's wrist in a tight grip, stifling a whimper. The three men held their breath, waiting for Amy's response.

"Hello, Sheldon."

Nobody spoke again for several long moments, the only sound that of the ventilation system buzzing overhead, which seemed to be growing louder and louder by the second. Howard scanned the uncomfortable group, before looking down at the empty space that separated their trio from Leonard and Sheldon. "Oh, look… a tumbleweed."

Raj looked down at the floor too. "Whe… Ow!" He looked up in shock, rubbing the back of his head where Howard had just slapped him.

"Are you… " Amy cleared her voice. "Are you going for lunch?" She asked, eyes darting between the others nervously before they seemed unable to help fixating on Sheldon.

"Umm…" Leonard looked up at his roommate from the corner of his eye.

"N-No. No I'm not." Sheldon replied hesitantly. His palms started to feel damp against the cardboard, and he tightened his hold to avoid dropping the box. "Despite Leonard's coercion, I am heading home. I am still observing my… sabbatical vow."

The two just stood in silence for a moment, unable to sustain eye contact for more than a few milliseconds at a time, and yet unable to keep flicking her glances back at each other. Amy finally nodded. "I trust it is going well?"

"Satisfactorily so far, but I still have a lot to work out." Sheldon replied, some of his natural confidence seeping back into his voice. He tilted his chin at her. "I trust yours is also?"

"It is." Amy smiled for the first time. "I'm keeping rather busy. My latest paper is nearly ready for submission to Nature."

"Excellent."

"If it's accepted it will be the fourth in a row." She added with a hint of excitement. "I just hope they will select better reviewers this time. I have better things to do than explaining the ABC to incompetent buffoons like the third reviewer they sent my last article to."

Sheldon let out one of his breathy laughs. "Oh, those comments were funny."

"They were." Amy chuckled too. "If they are anywhere near as amusing this time, I shall forward them to you."

"Please, do."

They smiled at each other for a second longer, then Amy turned to Howard and Raj, who were staring at the exchange with their mouths open. "So… are we eating outside or inside?"

"In-Inside…" Howard replied, still glancing between her and Sheldon.

"Ok. Shall we?" She motioned towards the corridor to their right and set off briskly, without waiting on a reply.

"Gentlemen." Sheldon nodded at his remaining friends and he resumed his walk past Howard and Raj, straight ahead towards the exit.

The trio stood staring after him, unmoving and silent.

"That was weird." Raj commented. "They just broke up. No tears?"

"Slaps or other forms of physical violence?" Howard added.

"Angry accusations?" Raj continued.

"Threats to share on Facebook the dozens of naked photos of yourself that you sent them and tag all your friends and family in them?"

Leonard and Raj turned to Howard, looking disconcerted, but engineer just shrugged. "Oh, like you've never done that after the second date!" He scoffed, heading off towards the cafeteria.

"Are you sure they are broken up?" Raj asked Leonard, as they began following Howard.

Leonard frowned. "I think so… I still don't fully understand the mating habits of their species."

Howard cleared his throat and mimicked an over exaggerated TV presenter voice. "On the next episode of Animal Odd Couples: The marriage rituals of the Shamys."

Raj sighed in relief. "Man, it's a good thing I already have their wedding party planned out, then. I would hate all of that effort spent designing her wedding dress to go to waste."

Leonard knit his brow in confusion. "You planned out their wedding?"

"Yes." Raj replied with a proud smile. "And yours too."

"Ours?" Leonard gawked at him. "We don't even have a date yet!"

"Oh, I know you don't." Raj turned to Leonard with a smug grin, as he slid through the cafeteria doors. "But I do."

* * *

**A/N: **I'm becoming more and more aware of the fact that this will be a rather long story. Just when I think I'm going to jump into the action, I realize that there are a lot of nuisances and details I want to set up and explore first, and before I know it they have taken up whole chapters. I hope the set up is worth it and still entertaining though. I don't think the plans I have for this story would resonate effectively without taking the time to set it all up.

I'll try to update faster next time, but don't hate me if I don't!

*jingle*


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